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IRCTC New Guidelines: The most convenient and inexpensive travel option for the general populace is by train in India. Changing the policies for train ticket booking seems to be a strategy employed by IRCTC to mitigate the ticket booking frauds at hand. Today, we explain the new guidelines set by IRCTC for you.
Now, the passengers will receive an OTP on their mobile which is to be entered in order to take the payment page. This applies to everyone, registered customers or not. It is meant to ensure that the booking is done by the right passenger. Also, further measures to strengthen security and privacy can be achieved.
The advance booking period for train tickets has been cut down to 90 days starting May 1. This means that any passenger wishing to travel will have to purchase the tickets not more than 90 days in advance. Although this came into effect from May 1, it will not apply to special and festival trains.
Now, the railways have relaxed the refund policy. Earlier, the refund process took 5 to 7 days, whereas now, after cancelling a ticket, the amount will be refunded in 48 hours, or 2 days. This policy is applicable to both online and counter purchases.
Railway tickets will now be rendered valid only for the date and time printed on the ticket. Passengers no longer need to carry a printed version of an e-ticket, as a mobile version will be accepted.
Lastly, for confirmed tickets, if a passenger decides to cancel 48 hours prior to the train's departure, they will incur different charges based on the coach. For First AC or Executive Class, the cancellation charge will be Rs 240. For 2AC or First Class, it will be Rs 200. For 3A, it will be Rs 180. For Sleepers, Rs 120 and for Second Class, the cancellation fee will be Rs 60.
Railways has introduced additional restrictions regarding the travel of those with waiting tickets. From the 1st of May, anyone with a waiting list ticket will NOT be permitted to travel in Sleeper or AC coaches. In other words, there will be no more For lack of better words, no more leniencies will be provided for based on unsanctioned travel policies in the absence of a ticket confirmation.
Read More: UIDAI Updates Verification Rules to Replace Physical Aadhaar Photocopies with Offline Method
